Chapter 7: No Longer a Place to Return to

“U-um, excuse me! I used to live in this house! Can I still go inside?”

“Aah, it's okay. But it was a close call, aye? They were just about to start tearing it down.”

“Excuse me. Thank you very much.”

Ah, it was a close call… By the time Miyu and I arrived, there were already several men wearing protective helmets gathered in front of the house. But… It’s not like I doubted Miyu’s words or anything but it’s really being demolished… Even I, who didn't live there, felt lonely, so I couldn't imagine how Miyu, who did live there, must be feeling.

“Haa, haa…Kazuya-kun runs too fast…”

“Ah, sorry. But it looks like we made it just barely in time, right?”

The moment Miyu told me there were already people in front of her house, I ran off, leaving her behind.

“Yeah…So then, let’s hurry up and get it over with.”

Miyu walked into the house with the same gait as usual, even though it was the last time she would ever set foot in her own house. And like that, she walked straight towards the place where her room would be…

“There’s really nothing left…”

As Miyu said, all the furniture was gone from the house. If I came home from school and found my house in such a state, I would’ve been broken apart… The reason Miyu wasn’t like that was because she was prepared to be abandoned by her parents, as she said before.

“What’s the matter, Kazuya-kun? Your face is scary.”

“Nn? Aah, I was just thinking about something.”

Apparently my thoughts were showing on my face. It's a bad habit of mine to let my thoughts and feelings show on my face…

“Is that ‘something’ about me?”

“Well, yes.”

I had no reason to deny it, so I answered honestly but…

“As expected, Kazuya-kun is too much of a good-natured person. But like I said, I’m fine.”

“I see…”

“So wait here for a while.”

“Nn? But why?”

Once Miyu opened the door to the room to check inside, she closed the door. I mean, the back and forth conversation didn't really mesh, did it? It’s okay, so just wait here? What does that mean?

“This is my room.”

“So?”

When I said that, Miyu glared at me intensely. Why…I thought it would be natural for me to go inside because I came here as a baggage carrier though?

“Normally, you don’t just casually enter a maiden’s room like that.”

“But I'm here as a baggage carrier, aren't I? Or is your room too messy for me to see?”

“Haa…Kazuya-kun, you have no delicacy. I always properly tidy up my room so it’s not messy.”

I don't understand this more and more. It's not like the room is a mess, so why don't you just let me in?

“Haa…Kazuya-kun. What did we come here to take?”

“That would be things you need for school and clothes, right?”

“If you understand that much then why do you still not get it? Are you an idiot?”

Why are you verbally berating me like that? I really don’t get it…

“Of course there’s going to be underwear in the midst of the clothes. Please don’t make me be blunt like that.”

“Ah, I see…I’m really sorry for my lack of delicacy.”

This is my fault…Of course it would be like that since we’ve come to take her clothes…

“Haa…If you get it, then just wait here.”

“…Yes.”

Miyu then went into the room and came out after about 15 minutes.

“Thanks for waiting.”

“Nn. So where's your luggage?”

“Here…”

“T-that’s a lot…”

“Even so, I was very selective.”

Miyu pointed to a place where there was a carry-on bag and two cardboard boxes. In terms of numbers, there’s not a lot but…The cardboard boxes are huge…And there’s two of them…

“I put my schoolbooks and favorite books in there, and this is what I ended up with…”

“Wait, are all these cardboard boxes filled with books, including textbooks?”

“Yeah, what about it?”

“You…How many books do you read…”

“Even so, I was really selective.”

Well, I guess that's certainly true.There were five bookshelves in Miyu's room, and the bookshelves were still filled with books.

“Haa…It can’t be helped…”

“Eh? Kazuya-kun, are you planning on carrying both the boxes back to your house?”

“There's no other way, so it can't be helped.”

Then I put the boxes on top of each other and lifted them up…

“This…is dangerous…”

“You knew that all along, didn't you? Are you really that stupid?”

“Shut up. Let's get out of here quickly.”

“Eh? Are you serious? You can leave the books that aren’t textbooks. I can just buy them again so—”

“Shut up. Aren’t the books inside these cardboard boxes filled with your memories?”

At a quick glance, it looks like there are still 500 books in the bookshelf. The fact that they were selected from such a large number of books means that surely she has some kind of emotional attachment to all the books in this collection.

“That…Yes, but…”

“If that's the case, let's get a move on. Seriously, if we don't hurry, I’ll die…”

“…Thank you.”

Thus, after leaving Miyu's house, Miyu and I managed to make it back home with a few breaks in between. I didn't overlook the lonely look on Miyu's face when we left her house. But there was nothing I could do about it now. That's why I really, from the bottom of my heart, wanted to make my house a place where Miyu could feel safe.

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